


To Live An Honest Student Life

by TurntechGoth



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, P5R Spoilers, Post-Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26610766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurntechGoth/pseuds/TurntechGoth
Summary: "To Live An Honest Student Life," that was an easy enough task, right? Well, for a normal student, yeah... for Ryuji Sakamoto? It was a bit more complicated, but he tried his best.
Relationships: Okumura Haru/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	To Live An Honest Student Life

The brash distortion of guitars, the heavy pounding drums, music loud enough to shake the bedstand should work to wake up anyone, right? That kind of heavy attitude that early in the morning, it was enough for noise complaints, multiple actually. Still, it wasn’t enough to wake up Ryuji Sakamoto.

The dyed blonde groaned as his groggy mind scrambled for the alarm clock, his hand fumbling and sending the device off the bedstand, now hanging by the wire… and out of his reach.

“Eff….” He mumbled under his breath with as much aggression as his tired mind could muster, before finally stumbling out of bed to reach for the clock, thankfully falling onto a pile of loose clothes. God bless this mess, for once. He was up, but not happily.

Still, morning was morning, and Ryuji had things to do. He reached up to grab his phone from the bedstand before he stood upright with a groan, slowly trudging his way to his closet. He was slow due to being tired, he promised. He definitely wasn’t just watching his step because his floor was an absolute minefield of scatter mecha pieces, skateboard wheels, and various other bits and bobs, some even hidden under dirty clothes.

Black, Yellow, Black, Yellow… Red? No, Black and Yellow, that was his new school’s uniform anyways, Sakido High. He looked over the slacks for a moment before carefully slipping them onto his legs, making sure to go slow, one at a time… balance was still a problem at times. He tossed an old shirt back on overtop, a simple yellow tanktop. Hey, it fit the color scheme, and he was headin for therapy first anyways. He reached for the bottom floor of his closet, pulling out a gym-bag as he slipped his blazer inside, along with a possible change of clothes, always had to be prepared when it came to therapy.

Ryuji sighed as he went towards his door, peeking out into the hall and down the closed door of his mother’s room. Back at Shujin she was always up before him, always needin to do a second job to keep their old house, as small as it was. Their new place might have been a bit more compact, honestly? But the new neighborhood was good for the both of them, lower prices meaning they lived comfortably. He smiled to himself as he slipped in a pair of earbuds, grabbing his skateboard as he headed out into the dark streets, ready to start a new day for himself before the sun even tried stopping him.

* * *

Ryuji was panting, leaning against the wall for support as his head was dripping with sweat. His hands bundled into tight fists, he tried to keep himself tense and steady, even as his legs felt like they were about to disintegrate beneath him. Or to be specific, his one leg. The other was fine, supporting him just as it always had, but that leg hadn’t had a close date with Kamoshida’s striking hand. The shitbag.

He shook his head as he tried to reject that memory, tears almost welling up in his eyes before he was able to calm his breathing, and a nurse came to his side to check in on his leg. He couldn’t get caught up in the past, he had to push forward. You didn’t get second chances a second time, and this was his. A new school, a new shot, a new race.

“I-I’m fine… I promise, I just…” he muttered out as the nurse took his hand, slowly walking him towards a chair, a place to sit and just, relax. Despite his protests, and the tenseness in his leg, he took the offer, fists finally relaxing as his breathing slowed.

“So when you guys are doin this… you’re pushin me to my limits, right? Kinda like a workout?” Ryuji offered as he tried to make simple conversation, a gentle laugh in an attempt to contrast his image. An image it was, as well. Sure, he’d had his hair like this since as far as he could remember, middle school at least, but he had a few new editions, one to be specific.

The nurse gave him a small nod, keeping rather quiet as her eyes drifted down to the mask currently on display on his shoulder. An image he knew well, his Skull, plastered on him forever thanks to Yuskue. It was his way of remembering that part of him, even if the metaverse was gone. A reminder to always work for that better world, always push, and always keep running.

“I uh, ain’t one of those kinda guys, I promise. I know with the hair, and the uh… the mask and all, but that’s just to remember a friend.” Ryuji chose his words carefully as he spoke to the nurse, a story he’d honestly told time after time, in situations just like this. At a meet, he could always just outrun someone to prove his worth, but here? He had to figure out how to negotiate. “Just a kid tryin to live an honest student life.”

There was an awkward, rather tense until the nurse smiled back, slowly going over his recovery routine with him, and some stretches and techniques he could do at home, and of course, before and after track practice. Ryuji smiled in return, a relieved sigh leaving him as he started to stand back up.

“Thanks for the help,” he offered as he headed for the door, shoving his gym-bag back into his backpack, seems like he wouldn’t need the replacement clothes today. He looked to his phone for a moment as he put in his earbuds, smiling as he sent a simple message off to someone special, ‘Good luck! You got an exam today, right?’

* * *

Was class always this damn borin? Ryuji groan as he struggled to keep his head off his desk, eyes darting back and forth, from out the window to the notebook in-front of him. Not to be dramatic, but this room was a jail-cell, just a way of keeping him away from the practice field. The freedom just waiting for him outside that window. There? He felt alive, he felt free. Free from his past and his expectations, free to prove to everyone just what he could do. It was his canvas, his coffee-shop, his… law practice? That’s what a police commissioner did, right? Make sure everyone was following the laws?

BZZT! The sharp feeling of his phone vibrating against his leg drew him out of his daze, and of course, he rushed to check in. It wasn’t like class was going anywhere.

[Coffee Bean] – “Exam went well! And I think your new blend will be in the mail today!”

God, she was always so cheerful. Ryuji smiled down at his phone as his fingers dashed across the screen, running their own race as he snuck out a response before his teacher could see, shoving his phone in his desk to hide. “Knew you’d do well. I’ll tell you how practice goes, alright?”

They continued to talk for the rest of the class, whenever he managed to sneak his phone out. Of course, she berated him just a little bit about his lack of studying habits, but he could always ask her for study tips later! She passed her entrance exams, she had to have some secret. Plus, the coffee helped.

* * *

“S-sh..” he stumbled with his words as he doubled over, legs shaking as he fought to keep himself upright. No! He couldn’t feel this again, he was better than this! He wasn’t a broken thing, he wasn’t a sorry story, he wasn’t pathetic… he wasn’t, alone? He felt the gentle touch of a teammate’s hand on his shoulders, and the cold feeling of a water bottle pushed into his shaking hands.

“Come on Sakamoto, I know you can do better than that man. Last drill of the day!” The captain of the team had always been friendly, even with Ryuji transferring right into the team. He was a different beast from anyone from Shujin. Friendly, supportive, and always careful with the team. He knew their strengths, and he knew how to find the best from everyone. Well… there was someone like that from Shujin.

Ryuji took a quick sip and held the bottle in a tight grip, channeling any pain into that grip as he finished the lap, before setting himself on the rough surface of the track and just… downing that bottle. Sure, he got some of it on his face, but when it mixed in with the sweat, he couldn’t tell the difference.

* * *

As soon as practice ended his hands rushed to his phone, forgoing his usual warning text as he jumped right into a call.

“So… practice went well? But, of course, I’m a bit tired out,” forgoing any previous exhaustion, the blonde boy was now beaming, smiling into the phone as he retrieved one part of his old life yet again.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve been watching the leg, had therapy this mornin and everything. No, no,” he laughed, shaking his head before he responded, “Nah! I don’t need a herbal mix, trust me, the doc’s got me on their own stuff, you keep the plants for the shop, okay? But… I wouldn’t say no to some socks or something. You said you wanted to get into that, right?”

“Warnin, bout to get goin, so I’m gonna mute? Tell me bout your stuff tho!” he explained as he found his way on top of his board again, placing his headphones in as he slipped his phone into his pocket. He let out a gentle hum as he found his way through the crowded streets, forgoing the train. He needed to learn his new town, didn’t he? He was only gonna be here for a year, and he had to make it his best!

* * *

He sighed as he got off his board, Haru having to head off to another course before he could find his way home, leaving the rest of the ride a silent reflection. Just one year, huh? Well, he knew he could do a lot with a year.

He grabbed his board with one hand as he moved to the mailbox, eyes picking up a bulky envelope before the scent of coffee hit his nose. It was the only coffee he’d drink, something even Sojiro couldn’t claim, but love did that to someone. Changed you, I guess.

He held the package under his arm as he found his way into the house, letting out a heavy sigh as he was done for the day. Ignoring his homework, cooking dinner… okay he wasn’t done, but he definitely deserved to take it easy for a few moments.

Sometimes, the world felt overwhelming, this big… thing, full of shadows and masks, hidden figures and questions that might never be answered. Yet, he always remembered one thing, the goal he told himself he had to fulfill when he was given this second chance. It wasn’t to run, it wasn’t to be romantic, or even succeed in his classes. It was, “To Live An Honest Student Life.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic in... basically forever? But after finishing P5R I felt like I just needed a bit of a wrap-up with Ryuji's story, so I wrote this!


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